Items tagged with Xbox

With the Windows 10 Anniversary Update set to launch on August 2, it seems Microsoft's Xbox had interest in beating their desktop counterparts to the punch by releasing the Xbox One Anniversary Update right now. It's probably a smart move on Microsoft's part to roll out the releases like this, as these platform versions are meant to complement each other. If you have an Xbox One, it means there will be no waiting to take advantage of the interoperability between the two platforms, once you upgrade to the latest version of Windows 10. So what's included? Well, if you enjoy talking to artificial...Read more...

Gears of War 4 is already looking like it will be a pretty sweet Xbox One game. PC gamers, however, have a few reasons to get excited about the game as well -- it will boast a number of PC-specific features.Technical director for The Coalition, Mike Rayner, remarked, “Our focus on PC is to deliver a highly optimized, customizable experience first and foremost”.Rayner noted as well that support for disabling v-sync has recently come to Universal Windows Platform (UWP) and will be able to offer proper unlocked frame-rate support. The Unreal Engine 4 and the team’s custom modifications make it...Read more...

Have you ever spent hours crafting the perfect online user name, only to discover it had already been claimed? Thankfully, Xbox Live users will now have more choices. Microsoft will release nearly one million Gamertags on Wednesday, May 18th at 2pm (EST). They will be available to Xbox Live Gold members with active subscriptions and at least one year of cumulative Xbox Live Gold tenure. The Gamertags will be released over a 24-period so that Xbox Live Gold members in different countries will have an equal chance of claiming one. Xbox Live policy permits one free Gamertag change request...Read more...

With Windows 10, Microsoft is making a concerted effort to unify their platforms. Universal apps, Xbox One to PC game streaming, Xbox 360 game streaming, Game DVR functionality, and a host of other features and tweaks to make the Windows experience more seamless across various devices. I've always seen the potential for PC to Xbox One streaming, but for that Microsoft would need to implement full keyboard and mouse support. Well guess what gamers? Xbox head Phil Spencer today said that exact support isn't far away. @lgriao @PNF4LYFE @Tak225Th Yep, keyboard and mouse support for Xbox would...Read more...

Microsoft announced name changes for its Xbox music and video features this week as part of its overall effort to create a familiar experience for users across all devices when Windows 10 launches. The Xbox Music app will become Groove, while Xbox Video will become Movies & TV. In a sign of just how Windows 10-centric things have become in Redmond, the updated apps will first be available in Windows 10 and then roll out to other devices.Xbox Music will receive more than just a name change. Groove will have an updated user interface and better support for keyboard, mouse, and touch navigation....Read more...

It's been quite the E3 so far, and Microsoft has been a good part of what's been exciting. Today, the company announced that later this year, it will be releasing what could be the "ultimate" gamepad. Called Xbox Elite Wireless, this gamepad has a dramatically overhauled D-pad and four paddles underneath. A couple of other things make this gamepad special: you’ll find trigger locks, the ability to customize thumbstick sensitivity, along with the level of travel for the top triggers. And if that wasn't enough, it also sports swappable components. The Xbox Elite controller is definitely for...Read more...

Microsoft, it seems, just can't catch a break. Days after a major hack took its servers offline on Christmas and after being lambasted in multiple stories for shipping games like Halo: The Master Chief Collection in nigh-unplayable condition, the company's Xbox One SDK has been leaked to the public by a group calling itself H4LT. H4LT, which apparently objects to being called a hacker group, offered this explanation when asked why it was distributing the SDK. The group claims that: We leaked it to the community because if something is shared then.. progress is achieved faster than alone....Read more...

Both Sony and Microsoft have been reportedly hacked today, with numerous disruptions to both Xbox Live and Sony's PlayStation Network. both services have been partially or totally offline all day, with Microsoft's official Twitter campaign chiming in to note that the service had been disrupted and that the company was working to bring it back online -- but didn't have an ETA on when that would happen. A group called Lizard Squad is currently claiming responsibility for the attack on Twitter, which likely involves spamming both networks with huge amounts of data to jam servers and make it impossible...Read more...

In any other universe, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial would be a long forgotten game at this point. Not just because it came out for what's now an ancient game console -- the Atari 2600 -- but also because it was such a terrible game. And not just terrible, but considered by many to be the worst video game of all time. Incidentally, that's one of the reasons it's remembered today, though even bigger in importance is how badly if affected Atari. Toss in a legend about millions of cartridges being buried in the desert, and you have the making of a documentary. Microsoft helped produce the documentary...Read more...

If you haven’t noticed by now, all of the Destiny trailers have been focused on PlayStation and, more recently, showcasing all of the exclusive content that will be available on Sony’s PlayStation consoles. However, Microsoft UK isn’t going to sit back and let people think that Destiny is only coming to the PS3 and PS4. To generate awareness that Destiny is also available on the Xbox One and Xbox 360, Microsoft UK has begun its own unofficial advertising campaign with Destiny Fragrance. Heading over to DestinyFragrance.com brings up a cheeky little picture of a perfume bottle...Read more...

While the Xbox-versus-PS4 push and pull endures, Microsoft is doing one thing that helps keep its customers happy and may bring in a few more: Constantly rolling out updates. The company has had an update each month since February, and Xbox Chief Phil Spencer tweeted that they’ll continue at least through October. “We've worked through the feature list through October,” reads the post. “MUs will continue and features look good.” Xbox now has a feedback channel called Xbox Feedback that allows users to pitch things they want to see, thus ensuring that Xbox owners have...Read more...

When Microsoft announced the Xbox One, one of its headline features was the creation of new TV and video content. Headlining this new endeavor was a custom Halo-themed television show directed by Ridley Scott. Microsoft didn't reveal much additional information and the news itself was generally swept under the rug in the wash of controversy over Kinect, the always-on camera, the intrusive DRM, constant phone-home checks, poor communication, and... well, you get the point. Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that it would be closing the content production studios that were initially meant to...Read more...

We won't soon look back and remember this week as the brightest in Microsoft's history. With a newly-minted CEO moving forward with around 18,000 job cuts by the end of 2014, it's clear that this is a pivotal point in Microsoft's history. What will become of Windows, Nokia, its cloud services, and its engagement with enterprise will all be shaped in the months ahead. Even the Xbox division, which is viewed by many as a glimmer of positivity within the company, isn't leaving the war unscathed. With firms such as Netflix and Yahoo diving into original content production, Microsoft had bold plans...Read more...

New Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has his work cut out for him. Although Microsoft is still one of the most important tech companies in the world, the company’s dominance is slipping as technology evolves rapidly. The company’s old product paradigms simply don’t work anymore, and Microsoft has appeared out of touch and confused at times when it comes to key areas such as mobile and the not-quite-right and relatively unpopular Windows 8 operating system. Nadella sent a lengthy (really, really lengthy) memo to all Microsoft employees espousing his values for the company moving forward,...Read more...